A few good combs for cats

I’d like to suggest a few combs and brushes for daily or weekly cat fur maintenance. When I sit down to groom a cat, these are the ones I pull out first. I’m not a grooming expert, but I’ve found these useful for me.

If you plan on only have one grooming tool for your cat, I suggest getting one of these (pictured above). This basic comb will work with long hair, medium hair, and short hair. You can’t go wrong with these combs. If you cat is prone to matting, use the wide-spaced teeth first to help detangle, then finish off with the finer side. If your cat ventures outside and gets bits of nature stuck to their fur, like burrs or leaves, you can get them out with this. If your longhaired cat has a messy bottom after using the litter box, this is a great tool to comb out the dirty bits. These combs are inexpensive, around $9-$13, durable, easily available at all pet stores, and practical. If you only have one grooming tool, get one of these.

For short-haired to medium-haired cat, I recommend a Zoom Groom, or some other similar type of silicone brush. The Zoom Groom works well because it is small and you can maneuver with it easily; I got a handled silicone brush years ago, and it isn’t as easy to use as this smaller handle-free brush. It is gentle, and when your cat sheds, these brushes can remove a lot of loose fur quickly. Cats generally like these brushes and will let you brush and brush the loose fur away. They are soft, so you don’t have to worry about pricking or hurting your cat or creating bald spots. They’re easy to clean. They’re also great for removing hair from furniture and cat trees!

If you have a long-haired cat, you can try this shedding comb. It has alternating long and short teeth. It can be used daily, and pulls out the loose undercoat. I’m not a grooming expert, so I’m not sure if you need both this one and the first basic comb I mentioned here, but in my experience so far, I’ve found this comb to be useful for long-haired cats, particularly in the early fall and the early spring when they shed their coats.

I also have Furminators, which are deshedding rakes, and a slicker brush in my bag, however I always go for the above items first. I always disinfect work tools I use on my pet sitting and boarding clients after each use with a special cat-safe spray and a clean toothbrush. It kills bacterial, fungicidal, virucidal, and tuberculocidal organisms so that my clients remain safe and protected.